Advertisement
Advertisement
alien
[ ey-lee-uhn, eyl-yuhn ]
noun
- a creature from outer space; extraterrestrial.
- Often Disparaging and Offensive. a resident of one country who was born in or owes allegiance to another country and has not acquired citizenship by naturalization in the country of residence ( citizen ). resident alien, illegal alien.
- a foreigner.
- a person who has been estranged or excluded.
- a plant or animal species not originating where it is found but introduced, sometimes accidentally, from its native environment elsewhere:
Imported plants, seeds, or bulbs may harbor unwanted aliens such as foreign insects or the seeds of other plants.
adjective
- unlike one's own; strange; not belonging to one:
In English class, our teacher treated all slang as alien speech.
Synonyms: exotic, nonnative, incompatible, inimical, averse, antagonistic, foreign, unknown, unfamiliar
- residing under a government or in a country other than that of one's birth without having or obtaining the status of citizenship there.
- belonging or relating to noncitizens:
Under certain conditions, seizure of alien property is authorized.
Their manifesto is full of ideas alien to modern thinking.
- (of a plant or animal species) not native; introduced from a different environment:
The bullfrog is native to some Canadian provinces, but is an alien species in British Columbia.
alien
/ ˈeɪljən; ˈeɪlɪə-; ˈeɪljənɪdʒ; ˈeɪlɪən /
noun
- a person owing allegiance to a country other than that in which he lives; foreigner
- any being or thing foreign to the environment in which it now exists
- (in science fiction) a being from another world, sometimes specifically an extraterrestrial
adjective
- unnaturalized; foreign
- having foreign allegiance
alien territory
- unfamiliar; strange
an alien quality in a work of art
- postpositiveand foll byto repugnant or opposed (to)
war is alien to his philosophy
- (in science fiction) of or from another world
verb
- rare.tr to transfer (property, etc) to another
alien
/ ā′lē-ən /
- Introduced to a region deliberately or accidentally by humans. Starlings, German cockroaches, and dandelions are species that are alien to North America but have become widely naturalized in the continent.
- Compare endemic
Discover More
Sensitive Note
Discover More
Derived Forms
- alienage, noun
Discover More
Other Words From
- non·al·ien noun adjective
- pro·al·ien adjective
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of alien1
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of alien1
Discover More
Example Sentences
For one thing, “computer proofs may not be as alien as we think,” DeDeo said.
Astrobiologists now consider it one of the most likely places to search for alien life in the solar system.
“We basically pretend we’re alien observers looking at our planet,” says Giada Arney, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
If the aliens ever show up at Earth they won’t ask to be taken to our leader, they’ll ask for a cheek swab and a consent form.
In interplanetary texts, humans of all nations, races, and genders have to come together as one people in the face of alien invasions.
Capaldi said the nature of the character—a time-travelling alien—meant his successor could take any form.
The idea that I might simply want to express my independent thoughts was alien to them.
A limited number of medical patients will be able to purchase “Chunky Diesel” or “Alien Dawg” for just $100.
“They treated me like an alien,” she says, explaining that North Koreans are viciously stereotyped in South Korea.
Last but not least, the Inhumans are a genetically advanced “inhuman race” that was formed via experimentation by the alien Kree.
The member banks should look upon the reserve bank not as an alien but as their own institution.
An American woman therefore who marries an alien takes the nationality of her husband.
In 1855 Congress passed an act conferring citizenship on alien women who should marry American citizens.
A deep melancholy settled down upon the mind of the wounded girl, and she felt that she was desolate and an alien in her own home.
A dependent who is an alien living in a foreign country is not debarred from receiving compensation.
Advertisement
Discover More
Related Words
Discover More
About This Word
What does alien mean?
Historically, the word alien has been used in a way that is now often considered disparaging and offensive: to refer to a person who was born in one country and now lives in another country without having become a citizen.
Alien and its more general synonym foreigner are now often considered disparaging and offensive due to being used in a way that’s intended to otherize a person—mark them as different and unwelcome. Such use is typically attributed to xenophobia, racism, and anti-immigrant stances.
This sense of alien is found in legal terms like resident alien and illegal alien. General and legal use of these terms has decreased in recent years, but they are still in use in many cases.
Relatedly, many object to the word illegal in illegal alien and illegal immigrant due to its implication that a person’s very existence can be illegal.
There are other common uses of the word alien that are not considered offensive, but that are also based on the idea of something being unfamiliar or from an entirely different place.
Alien can be used as an adjective to describe something as entirely unfamiliar, as in It was the first time he had returned in many years, and the place now seemed alien to him. The word foreign can be used in the same way.
The word alien is also commonly used as a noun to refer to a being from another planet, sometimes called an extraterrestrial or a space alien. The classic image of an alien from science fiction and pop culture (the one that comes out of a flying saucer) is a little green humanoid with a big head and large eyes. But aliens have been depicted in many different ways.
Where does alien come from?
The first records of the word alien come from around 1300. It ultimately comes from the Latin word aliēnus, meaning “foreign,” which itself comes from the word alius, meaning “other.”
Related words include the verb alienate, meaning “to cause to be withdrawn or isolated,” as well as the adjective form alienated and the noun alienation.
Did you know ... ?
What are some synonyms for alien?
- extraterrestrial (in the sense of a space alien)
What are some words that share a root or word element with alien?
What are some words that often get used in discussing alien?
How is alien used in real life?
When used in the context of citizenship and immigration, the word alien is often considered disparaging and offensive. However, it’s also commonly used as an adjective meaning “unfamiliar” and to refer to a being from another planet, especially in the context of science fiction.
I was thinking just now that if peaceful aliens arrived on Earth and made their presence known, humans would not be very generous hosts.
— Elspeth Eastman (@ElspethEastman) March 2, 2014
We're gonna see and meet aliens this year.
— Mutahar (@OrdinaryGamers) June 4, 2020
Try using alien!
True or False?
The word alien derives from a Latin word meaning “other.”
Word of the Day
[pet-ri-kawr]
Meaning and examplesStart each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!
By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse